Because or because (comma for complex subordinating conjunctions). Is a comma necessary before "as"? Is there a comma before the word “how” or not? Not before only when

One of the most common in high school is the comma before "what", "how" and in other words in structures that are connected with them. This happens, some authors of school textbooks call all constructions with these words a comparative phrase.

In fact "How" can act as a conjunction or particle. And such a construction is not always a comparative turnover. In some cases it is a circumstance.

The design acts as:

• Predicate: The whole world is like an exciting adventure.
• Definitions or applications: The crocodile, as a rare animal, is listed in the Red Book.
• Comparative turnover or circumstances: Life seethed like a waterfall of passions.
• Introductory design: I decided to change my shirt, or chemise, as my mother would say.
• Subordinate part: Living in the countryside is as difficult as describing the smell of freshly cut grass in words..

Difference and other combinations

Comma before "How" is placed in the following cases:

1) If the combination means exclusively likening, i.e. it means "like" and no longer has any other meanings. This construction is called a comparative phrase and acts as a circumstance in a sentence. For example: Vasily, like a hero, defended his friend. But it is necessary to pay attention to the point that the comparative phrase is not separated by commas if it is in the middle of the sentence. In this case, the part of the sentence to which this construction relates is emphasized. For example: At the ball, Anna, in love like a passionate girl, looked into the eyes of her chosen one. In this sentence, comparative turnover is not separated from "lover" a comma only because these words have a semantic connection. If there is a comma before the word "How", then it will come out “looked like a passionate lioness”, but the sentence has a completely different meaning.

2) If the combination is used together with the conjunction “and”. This construction is also called a comparative phrase and acts as a circumstance in a sentence: Peter, like everyone else in the class, treated me well.

Applications

In order to prevent another mistake, it is necessary to decide which member of the sentence the combination we are interested in is and what words it is associated with:

1) In the case when used before a combination of words “so”, “that”, “such”, “so” and many others. Such constructions are applications, and in a sentence they act as a definition. For example: He usually did not watch films such as horror or thrillers.

2) The combination has the meaning of causality. Usually it is an application, and in a sentence it acts as a definition. For example: The doctor, as a good specialist, paid a lot of attention to sick patients. This sentence shows the reason in combination "good specialist". The doctor paid a lot of attention to sick patients because he was a good specialist. But do not confuse the application with comparative turnover. A comparative phrase is the likening of one object to another. And an application is when an object is called completely differently .

3) The conjunction is part of the expression "nothing else"; "no one else". For example: This event is nothing more than a pre-planned action. The construction given in this sentence is a nominal compound predicate. And we see that this member of the sentence is separated by a comma.

Introductory structures

In some sentences, combinations are not members of the sentence, but appear. They must be separated with commas on both sides.

1) The conjunction is combined with the following words: “now”, “now”, “before”, “always”, “usually”, “exception”, “rule”, “on purpose” and others. These combinations act as introductory words that are not any members of the sentence. For example: As if on purpose, they were in no hurry to go home.

2) The conjunction is part of the introductory sentence. For example: As Katerina correctly noted, the road was especially difficult. This sentence is simple, despite the presence of two grammatical stems. It’s just complicated by the introductory structure. In this case, the construction in which this conjunction is present is an introductory sentence. The narrator names the source of the information. The combination is separated by commas.

Comparative phrase and incomplete subordinate clause

Before deciding whether a comma is needed before "How", you need to understand exactly what the difference is between a comparative clause and an incomplete subordinate clause. It can be seen in the following example: Nowhere have I felt as good as at home. In this case, the second part is an incomplete subordinate clause. Also, do not confuse the subordinate clause, which is a one-part sentence, with a comparative phrase: Write stories like thisIt’s as difficult as describing the sound of music in words. The second part is a one-part impersonal

Connection with the predicate

There are many examples where a comma comes before "How" not put:

1) The combination is part of the predicate: Time flew by very quickly, the day felt like one hour. The comparative particle is part of the predicate and is emphasized along with it.

2) The word has a semantic connection with the predicate: The meeting flew by in a flash, and I didn’t even have time to come to my senses. In this case, the comma before "How" is not placed because the entire combination with it is a predicate, and the word itself is a comparative particle. Without it, the predicate would lose its true meaning. This award was like a gift from above. This combination also acts as a predicate, because without it the sentence completely loses its meaning. And a comma before "How" that is why it is not installed.

Persistent expressions

Comma before conjunction "How" not placed if it is part of There are a great many such examples. After the meeting, we gained confidence in the future, because everything went like clockwork. In this case, the combination is part of a compound predicate, which in this sentence is expressed by a phraseological unit. Life should be valued and cherished like the apple of your eye. The combination is also part of a predicate, which is a persistent expression. That is why the use of different ones is unacceptable here.

A few more features of the use of punctuation marks...

To make the right decision, before "How" whether a comma is needed or not, you need to pay attention to some more nuances. Is there a particle in front of this word? "Not" or these words: “simple”, “exactly”, “exactly”, “absolutely” or "almost". If they are used, then there is no need to put a comma. In this case, such a construction will be called a comparative phrase, and in the sentence it will act as a circumstance. For example: Nikolai always behaved with dignity, he acted exactly like a real man. If the combination means "in role", then the comma is also omitted: He spoke at the meeting as a mathematics teacher. This sentence means that the person acted as a mathematics teacher. In fact, he may not be one.

We see that there are quite a few nuances in the use of the comma. You need to pay special attention to them, and then you can easily and simply avoid serious mistakes.

BEFORE. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

before- conjunction Syntactic constructions starting with the conjunction “before” are highlighted with punctuation marks (commas). In this case, the first punctuation mark is often placed before the compound conjunction, and not between its parts (before the word “than”). About the factors influencing... ... Dictionary-reference book on punctuation

before- Unism. Before, until (indicates that the time of action in the main clause precedes the time of action in the subordinate clause). Someone put the letter down... and disappeared before Marya Kirilovna had time to come to her senses. (A. Pushkin.) A year and a half... ... Educational phraseological dictionary

before- see before; (book) ... Dictionary of many expressions

Conjunction Used when joining a subordinate part of a complex sentence, the action of which follows the action of the main part; before, before. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova

before- union... Spelling dictionary of the Russian language

before- Temporal conditionality... Dictionary of Russian synonyms

Before we part... Wikipedia

From the “Statement of the Editorial Board of Iskra” (1900), written by V. I. Lenin (1870 1924). In the original: “Before we unite, and in order to unite, we must first resolutely and definitely disengage.” The meaning of the expression: the unification will be... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions

- “BEFORE WE LEAVE”, USSR, MOSFILM, 1984, color, 84 min. Melodrama. During the war, a small Far Eastern airport was built to ferry aircraft along the Alaska-Russia front route. Soon an American plane crashed in these parts... Encyclopedia of Cinema

Before starting any business, you need to sharpen the tool- Every business requires preliminary preparation, choice of means and method of implementing the plan... Dictionary of folk phraseology

Books

• Before you die, Anna Babyashkina. "Before I Die" is a semi-fiction novel about those who are 30-40 years old today. More precisely, about what these people will become at an advanced age. The action takes place in 2039 in the Moscow region...
• Before You Die, Babyashkina A.. “Before You Die” is a semi-fiction novel about those who are 30-40 years old today. More precisely, about what these people will become at an advanced age. The action takes place in 2039 in the Moscow region...

Whether “first of all” is set off with commas or not must be decided on a case-by-case basis. If the phrase is an introductory combination, it can be removed from the statement, then we highlight it on both sides. Is a comma necessary and where to put it? Replacing “first of all” with the words “first”, “first of all” will help. The meaning of the phrase “first of all” in statements has such a small difference that it is difficult to say unambiguously where the introductory words are and where the members of the sentence are. Compare: First of all, we think about the future. (First we think about the future) and First of all, we think about the future. (First, we think about the future). In the first sentence there is a circumstance; a comma is not needed. In the second - an introductory combination, a comma is needed. In such cases, the authors of the text put commas according to their own considerations, the so-called author's commas.

“First of all” is separated by commas

On both sides

If the phrase is an introductory combination, it stands in the middle of the statement and can be replaced with a word - firstly.

• The student must first of all attend lectures.
• Your appearance, first of all, is unkempt and indecent.

Before the phrase

“First of all,” being an introductory combination, stands at the end of the sentence, preceded by a comma.

• I want to know the reasons for your terrible behavior during the school evening; I hope to hear from high school students, first of all.
• Where to start preparing for the exam, with reading, first of all

After the phrase

If used with the words a, but, then a comma is not needed before “first of all”; it is placed only after this phrase.

• I'm glad to meet you, but first of all, I want to warn you that I don't have much time.
• You are about to leave, and first of all, you need to remember whether you wrote everything down.

No comma needed

If the phrase is used in the meaning of “first”, “first” and is an adverbial circumstance in a sentence.

• First of all, fill out the table, it’s easier to work with.
• When you come to the clinic, first of all go to the surgeon with your sore leg.

Do you know..

Which option is correct?
(according to last week’s statistics, only 50% answered correctly)

BECAUSE or BECAUSE
(comma for complex subordinating conjunctions)

In language, unlike arithmetic, when the positions of the terms are rearranged, the sum not only changes, but can sometimes turn into a difference.

Perhaps best of all, this property of our written speech is demonstrated by two popular “punctuation jokes.” The first of them is about the poor student Vita Perestukin, the hero of L. Geraskina’s story “In the Land of Unlearned Lessons,” whose fate turned out to depend on how he puts a comma in the sentence passed on him by His Majesty the Verb of the Imperative Mood “for ignorance, laziness and lack of knowledge of one’s native language.” language": EXECUTION CANNOT BE PARCORED. And the second is about a certain traveler who, in a moment of danger, promised in case of salvation " put up a golden statue holding a pike ", but as soon as the danger had passed, he decided not to fork out the cash and gave the order: " Place a statue holding a golden pike ".
Russian punctuation, according to the remark of one of its most subtle researchers N.S. Valgina, “has a clear purpose - to convey to the reader the meaning of what is written as it is reproduced by the writer.” That is why, by its very definition, it subjective, and therefore - and this is its fundamental difference from spelling - in most cases necessarily variable. And it is absolutely necessary to remember this when studying the system of punctuation rules: after all, according to A.P. Chekhov, “in a work of art, signs often play the role of notes, and you cannot learn them from a textbook; you need flair and experience.”

Try to find punctuation errors in the following sentences and understand how incorrect punctuation marks violate the meaning of the text:
1. It has long been established that octopuses are excellent learners, they have a good memory, they recognize the people who feed them and can become tame.
2. Anton shed tears when he saw him, bowed to the ground, told him that his old master was still alive and ran to harness the horses (A. Pushkin).
3. She [Anna Sergeevna] was walking alone, still wearing the same beret with a white Spitz (A. Chekhov).
4. I maintained two-way radio communication with the Earth and heard the voices of my comrades working at radio stations as clearly as if they were nearby (According to Yu. Gagarin).
5. Suddenly the driver began to look to the side and, finally taking off his hat, turned to me and said: “Master, would you order me to turn back?” (A. Pushkin).
6. Unfortunately, he was extremely short-sighted, so much so that he even wore glasses to some special order (A. Kuprin).
7. On the lower floor, under the balcony, the windows were probably open because women’s voices and laughter were clearly heard (A. Chekhov).

The last two examples illustrate the rule about placing a punctuation mark in a complex sentence with a compound subordinating conjunction ( due to the fact that, in view of the fact that, due to the fact that, due to the fact that, instead of, in order to, in order to, while, because, because, despite the fact that, after, before before and so on.).
If the subordinate clause is connected to the main clause using a complex (compound) subordinating conjunction, then the place of the punctuation mark is often determined by the writer himself, depending on the specific purposes of the statement. You can write He liked herbecause she was very beautiful(emphasis on results) or He liked herbecauseshe was very beautiful(emphasis on the reason).
When a conjunction is divided, its first part becomes a correlative word included in the main part of a complex sentence as one of its members (as a rule, circumstances), and the subordinate clause acquires a clarifying character: Her face was subtly pink and slightly shiny(for what reason?) that's why(why exactly?) , What(M. Sholokhov). (cf. her face<…>shiny (for what reason?), because ofshe recently washed her face with soap.)

However, there are formal conditions dictating the mandatory dismemberment/non-dismemberment of such a union. The conditions for the mandatory dismemberment of the union include the following:

The presence of a negative particle “not” before the conjunction, for example: He liked hernot becauseshe was very beautiful.

The presence of intensifying, restrictive and other particles before the union, for example: He liked heronly (only, in particular, just, precisely and so on.) because was very beautiful.

The presence of an introductory word or introductory construction before the conjunction, for example: He liked herapparently (probably, maybe, it seems, obviously, one has to think, I think and so on.) , becauseshe was very beautiful.

Inclusion of the first part (correlative word) in a series of homogeneous members or parallel constructions, for example: He liked herbecausewas very beautifuland even more so because had extraordinary charm.

It must be borne in mind that some conjunctions, when broken into two parts, dramatically change their meaning, for example: I fell, So broke my knee (clause of consequence) - I fell Sobroke my knee(clause of manner of action with a connotation of the degree of this quality); He looked at herbecausehe liked her(subordinate reason) - He looked at herbecauseif he liked her(a subordinate clause of the manner of action with a connotation of the degree of this quality).
More often, a complex subordinating conjunction is not divided if the subordinate clause precedes the main one, for example: As the snow in the pot turned gray and turned into a milky-cloudy liquid, Pavel added snow from a bucket(B. Okudzhava). The indivisibility of the conjunction in this position is explained by the fact that the last part of the sentence is usually emphasized, while accents are rare at the beginning. Wed: Asthe sun was rising, the day was warmer and cheerful(I. Bunin). - The noise died down as the news penetrated to all corners of the hall(L. Leonov).
Complex unions are not dismembered whereas, while : He liked to read detective storieswhile (whereas) his wife preferred the romance novel genre.
Possibility of dismemberment of the union while detected when updating temporary meaning, especially when including words just, yet, most, exactly : I asked my grandfather about thisjust at the time he swung his second felt boot(M. Prishvin). Such sentences are close to sentences with the conjunction When (during the time when ): The mushrooms are really starting to growduring the time when rye shoots an ear(V. Tendryakov).

A. Kanevsky's story "On the Use of Punctuation Marks" talks about how " the man lost his comma and became afraid of complex sentences. I was looking for a simpler phrase. Simple phrases were followed by simple thoughts.
Then he lost the exclamation mark and began to speak quietly, with one intonation. Nothing pleased or outraged him anymore; he treated everything without emotion.
Then he lost the question mark and stopped asking any questions. No events aroused his curiosity, no matter where they happened - in space, on Earth, or even in his own apartment.
After another couple of years, he lost his colon and stopped explaining his actions to people.
By the end of his life, he only had quotation marks left. He did not express a single idea of ​​his own, he quoted someone all the time - so he completely forgot how to think and reached a point.
Watch out for punctuation!"

Before Neism. Before, until (indicates that the time of action in the main clause precedes the time of action in the subordinate clause).

Someone put the letter down... and disappeared before Marya Kirilovna had time to come to her senses. (A. Pushkin.)

A year and a half passed after this conversation before Pavel Petrovich decided to carry out his intention. (I. Turgenev.)

If only I could get to the forest before the month ends. (L. Tolstoy.)

Educational phraseological dictionary. - M.: AST. E. A. Bystrova, A. P. Okuneva, N. M. Shansky. 1997 .

See what “before” is in other dictionaries:

Before- BEFORE. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

before- conjunction Syntactic constructions starting with the conjunction “before” are highlighted with punctuation marks (commas). In this case, the first punctuation mark is often placed before the compound conjunction, and not between its parts (before the word “than”). About the factors influencing... ... Dictionary-reference book on punctuation

before- see before; (book) ... Dictionary of many expressions

Before- conjunction Used when joining a subordinate part of a complex sentence, the action of which follows the action of the main part; before, before. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova

before- union... Spelling dictionary of the Russian language

before- Temporal conditionality... Dictionary of Russian synonyms

Before we part- Before we part… Wikipedia

Before we unite, we need to resolutely disassociate ourselves- From the “Statement of the Editorial Board of Iskra” (1900), written by V.I. Lenin (1870-1924). In the original: “Before we unite, and in order to unite, we must first resolutely and definitely disengage.” The meaning of the expression: the unification will be... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions

BEFORE YOU LEAVE- “BEFORE WE LEAVE”, USSR, MOSFILM, 1984, color, 84 min. Melodrama. During the war, a small Far Eastern airport was built to ferry aircraft along the Alaska-Russia front route. Soon an American plane crashed in these parts... Encyclopedia of Cinema

Before starting any business, you need to sharpen the tool- Every business requires preliminary preparation, choice of means and method of implementing the plan... Dictionary of folk phraseology

Books

• Before you die, Anna Babyashkina. "Before I Die" is a semi-fiction novel about those who are 30-40 years old today. More precisely, about what these people will become at an advanced age. The action takes place in 2039 in the Moscow region... Buy for 513 rubles
• Before You Die, Babyashkina A.. “Before You Die” is a semi-fiction novel about those who are 30-40 years old today. More precisely, about what these people will become at an advanced age. The action takes place in 2039 in the Moscow region...